This is an archival story that predates current editorial management.
This archival content was written, edited, and published prior to LAist's acquisition by its current owner, Southern California Public Radio ("SCPR"). Content, such as language choice and subject matter, in archival articles therefore may not align with SCPR's current editorial standards. To learn more about those standards and why we make this distinction, please click here.
Fans of Fifty Shades of Grey will be delighted or disappointed to know that one notorious scene will not be appearing in the upcoming film—the tampon scene.
BDSM-loving Christian Grey in E.L. James' raunchy 50 Shades is a modern man. At one point, he shows protagonist Anastasia Steele that the forces of nature will not deter him from having sex with her.
From the novel:
I am flush against him, and he kisses me wildly, ravaging my mouth with his. Holding me in place. His breathing is ragged, matching mine.
“When did you start your period, Anastasia?” he asks out of the blue, gazing down at me.
“Err … Yesterday,” I mumble in my highly aroused state.
“Good.” He releases me and turns me around.
“Hold on to the sink,” he orders and pulls my hips back again, like he did in the playroom, so I’m bending down.
He reaches between my legs and pulls on the blue string … What! And … a gently pulls my tampon out and tosses it into the nearby toilet. Holy fuck. Sweet mother of all … Jeez.
Hold onto the sink, Anastasia, 'cause you're in for an awkward ride!
When it comes to the movie adaptation starring Dakota Johnson and Jamie Dornan, director Sam Taylor-Johnson informed Variety that this particular scene will not make an appearance.
"It didn't make it into the movie," Taylor-Johnson. "It was never even discussed."
Producer Michael De Luca said that while the book needed to be "very literal" to put you in Anastasia's shoes, "the movie didn't need to do that. It's a completely different medium."
It makes sense to cut the scene as it might be a bit graphic for some. For others, however, the worst part about this scene is that everyone knows you're not supposed to flush tampons down the toilet. Don't you know you can clog plumbing systems that way? Rude.
The film, set to come out on Valentine's Day, will have plenty of other saucy scenes we're sure. But for now, Carrie and God Bless America will have to fight for the movie with the most memorable tampon scene.
